Virginia Film Festival

Nikki Giovanni has written more than thirty volumes of poetry and prose, including several children’s books. Among the latter is Rosa, awarded the coveted Caldecott Medal. Her adult poetry books range from early volumes, such as Black Feeling Black Talk/Black Judgement and My House, to the more recent Bicycles, Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, and Make Me Rain. Giovanni is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including Woman of the Year Awards from both Ebony and Mademoiselle magazines; Governor’s Awards from both Tennessee and Virginia; keys to more than two dozen cities; some 30 Honorary Doctorates; and most recently, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from the Poetry Foundation. She has recorded several award-winning, spoken-word albums, among them Truth Is On Its Way and The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Giovanni recently retired from Virginia Tech as University Distinguished Professor Emerita.

Film: Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

Kevin Jerome Everson is a filmmaker and artist. He has made over 200 films, including Tonsler Park (2017); The Island of Saint Matthews (2013);Erie (2010); Ears, Nose and Throat (2016); Stone (2013); Century (2013); Fe26 (2014), Sugarcoated Arsenic (2013); and the eight-hour long Park Lanes (2015). Currently a Professor of Art at UVA, Everson has exhibited work at Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Centre Pompou in Paris. He has received the Guggenheim Fellowship, Heinz Award, Creative Capital Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, an American Academy in Rome Prize and an American Academy in Berlin Prize. Everson’s films have been presented across multiple platforms, including The Criterion Channel and MUBI. He holds an MFA from Ohio University and a BFA from the University of Akron.

Film: A Suite of Short Films by Kevin Jerome Everson